Beginning again: West African women's experiences of being migrants in Australia
Abstract
Settling in a new country exposes immigrants to various health risk factors, and the existing literature alludes to immigrant women being more vulnerable than men. This article highlights some of the difficulties faced by West African women while settling into life in Australia. A qualitative design was used to explore the experiences of West African immigrant women living in Sydney, Australia. Data were collected using audiotaped face-to-face interviews, and narratives were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Twenty-one West African women participated in this study. The findings revealed the many challenges that participants faced after immigrating to their new country, and these are presented under the following themes: beginning again and experiencing loneliness and isolation. Participants encountered difficulties in developing social networks and obtaining employment, and as a result, they felt lonely and isolated. Therefore, nurses and health care professionals need to incorporate screening for precursors of emotional and social well-being issues when caring for this population.
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Key factors that may contribute to or exacerbate social isolation and loneliness among migrant mothers include family separation, language barriers, past traumas, precarious immigration status, and unfamiliarity with the host country's culture.
“Key factors that may contribute to, or exacerbate social isolation and loneliness, include family separation, language barriers, past traumas, having a precarious immigration status, and unfamiliarity with the host country's culture (6–11).”
Social isolation and a lack of support among migrant women are associated with stress, depression and postpartum depression.
“Existing studies show that social isolation and a lack of support among migrant women are associated with stress, depression and postpartum depression (3, 9–15).”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Ogunsiji, O., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Peters, K.
- Affiliations
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- University of Technology Sydney (AU)
- Venue
- Journal of Transcultural Nursing
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2012-04-06
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 279-286
- ISSN
- 1043-6596 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7832
- OpenAlex
- W2126458187
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 1.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Transcultural Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Identity, and Health
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Gender, Health, and Social Inequality
- Keywords
- immigrant health, loneliness and isolation, social networks, employment problems, acculturation, emotional well-being, social well-being, health screening, transnational migration, Sydney
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Africa, Australia, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Interview, Psychological, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Middle Aged, Social Isolation, Social Support, Stress, Psychological, Tape Recording, Transients and Migrants, Women's Health, Transcultural Nursing, Qualitative Research, Black People
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